The ability to grow

Why invest in the share market?

CommSec share trading gives you the ability to trade Australian shares. Historically, the Australian share market has offered better long-term returns than most other investments, such as cash and property¹, making shares an important part of a diversified portfolio.

With over 2000 companies listed on the Australian share market, there’s plenty to choose from. Trading shares is affordable, simple and flexible, and you can use a range of strategies to suit your investment goals and time-frame. 

Power up your portfolio

Multiply your investment potential with a CommSec Margin Loan. Use this powerful investment tool to unlock the equity in your existing investments, and combine it with borrowed funds to expand your portfolio.

With the extra investment capital from a Margin Loan, you can build a larger portfolio that can allow you to diversify your investments over a wider range of assets. This means more than just increased potential returns - it also gives you greater exposure to price movements, dividends, franking credits and corporate actions.

Your cash account for trading

The Commonwealth Direct Investment Account (CDIA) for CommSec is a cash management account for traders - with it you can seamlessly settle trades, transact and earn interest.

Your CDIA is linked to your CommSec Trading Account so you enjoy low brokerage plus the convenience of settling trades without the need to transfer between accounts. You'll earn interest on every dollar (including dividends paid into this account), pay no monthly account-keeping fee, enjoy unlimited electronic withdrawals² and complete access to your cash anytime.

Diversify your portfolio

Managed funds are professionally managed investment portfolios. As an investor, you buy units in a fund rather than individual shares. They allow you to diversify across a range of asset classes and access sophisticated investment products not always available to individual investors. And you can choose funds that suit your own investment objectives — capital growth, income or both — and your risk profile.

CommSec offers over 700 funds from more than 50 leading fund managers, plus free Morningstar Research, rebates on entry fees and free portfolio tools to track your investments.

Low-cost, efficient diversification

Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are funds that trade on a stock exchange, just like ordinary shares. They combine the investment advantages of a managed fund with the ease and cost-effectiveness of share trading. You can use ETFs for cost-effective, easy access to markets and asset classes you might not otherwise have access to, such as debt, derivatives, currency and commodities.

One simple ETF transaction can help you to diversify your portfolio, as each unit of an ETF represents a basket of securities that often replicates the performance of a specific index or benchmark.

What is a CommSec CFD?

A CommSec Contract For Difference (CFD) is a flexible leveraged product that allows you to gain exposure to the price movements of an underlying instrument, such as a share, without actually owning it. The CFD is an over-the-counter (OTC) contract between you and CommSec (as the CFD issuer).

CommSec offers over 7,000 different types of CFDs providing leverage exposure to international shares, global indices, commodities and foreign exchange — plus a market leading platform and real-time banking to fund your account. We also offer real value for money, with CFD trades starting from as little as $10.

Think global

With CommSec, it’s easy to invest globally. A CommSec International Securities Trading Account gives you access to over 25 leading global share markets, including the New York Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange.

While the Australian share market offers some excellent investment opportunities, it makes up less than 2% of the world’s total by market capitalisation. So if you’re only investing in Australian shares, there’s still a whole world of investment potential you could be tapping into.

Profit potential from any market direction

Exchange Traded Options (Options) are a versatile and flexible tool. They can be used to compliment or refine your existing share strategies, or take advantage of opportunities in other ways to owning direct shares. Options strategies can be as simple or as complex as you want.

You can use Options to limit risk or to protect your existing share portfolio against a fall in value. When the market is flat you can write Options over your existing share portfolio to generate income in times of low capital growth.

Why invest in Interest Rate Securities?

Interest Rate Securities are debt investments that pay a fixed or floating rate of return. As an investor, you are lending money to the issuer — in return, the issuer pays you interest, and promises to repay the issue price at a specific time. There are three main types of Interest Rate Securities traded on the ASX: Australian Government Bonds, Corporate Bonds and Hybrid Securities.

Interest Rate Securities provide regular income and typically higher rates of interest from a bank.

Secure your investments

A Protected Loan is an interest-only loan where the Commonwealth Bank may lend you up to 100% of the purchase price to acquire a portfolio of securities. As well as funding the purchase of a portfolio of securities, you may also be able to use a Protected Loan to gear into the sharemarket within your SMSF.

If you are not investing within your SMSF, then you can also use a Protected Loan to draw down equity from an existing portfolio of securities, refinance a margin loan and avoid margin calls or exercise executive options that are offered to you.

Gearing without margin calls

Take advantage of the benefits of leverage and diversification to invest in some of Australia's major companies, managed investments and other underlying assets with Warrants. Warrants are listed and traded on the ASX.

There are many types of Warrants, each with their own characteristics, risk profile and terms, offering you the flexibility to build a portfolio or trade market movements. Some Warrants may also be used to provide gearing within a Self-Managed Super Fund. Warrants you can trade through CommSec include; Mini Warrants (MINIs) and Instalment Warrants.